1. Technical Field
The present application relates to a device and a method for filling liquids, in at least one possible embodiment carbonated beverages into bottles, cans or similar containers, the device having at least one filling tank and filler elements connected thereto, and having a least one measuring device for the quantitative and/or qualitative analysis of the liquid.
2. Background Information
Background information is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily admit that subsequently mentioned information and publications are prior art.
Filling machines for filling liquids may come in many forms. This applies to those filling machines that are used for the filling of beverages.
Usually the procedure for the filling of carbonated beverages is to mix water with at least one further constituent (generally speaking a beverage syrup) in a mixing container that is connected upstream of the filler tank. The mixture of water and the at least one further constituent is then carbonated or is carbonated at the same time or essentially the same time in a so-called carbonation device. The carbonation device may be a component of the mixing device or of the mixing container or may also be a separate device.
As the quality of the beverage and generally speaking of the liquid in the example described depends enormously on the carbonic acid or carbon dioxide content, the proportion of additional constituents (beverage syrup) and supplementary features, the aforementioned measuring device for the quantitative and/or qualitative analysis of the liquid may be utilized. This measuring device is in the form of a volume and quantity measuring device. Normally the measuring device in question is situated in a supply line for the filler tank or is positioned in a ring channel to the individual filler elements. This arrangement produces problems in the event of a changeover to the bottling of another liquid, because the amount of the old beverage that is still in the filler tank must either be disposed of or modified to achieve the desired quantity or quality of the new beverage, which is not always possible. The present application wishes to find a remedy to this problem.